Search

Although intestinal microbiota is closely related to the growth of the host, it is still unclear how it affects the growth of white shrimp. To elucidate the potential processes of intestinal microbiota affecting white shrimp growth, in this study, we compared the intestinal microbiota compositions and metabolisms of larger (11.11 ± 0.32 g) and smaller (5.30 ± 0.06 g) individuals in the same batch of white shrimp cultured in the same environment through high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed that there was no significant difference in the composition of intestinal microbiota between larger and smaller white shrimps. However, Shewanella algae and Neptunomonas sp. were significantly enriched in the larger group, while Delftia sp., Hydrogenophaga sp., Pseudomonas sp., Synechococcus sp., Methylibium sp., Acidovorax sp., Limnohabitans sp., Burkholderia sp., Candidatus Koribacter sp., and Vogesella sp. were enriched in the smaller group. Moreover, the intestinal microbiota might promote the energy metabolism and growth of white shrimps through regulating their metabolic characteristics and switching their metabolisms from material synthesis to energy metabolisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural migration is regarded as a key step for cortical development and cortical lamination. While classical theory holds that immature neurons migrate to their destinations along radial glia, there is some preliminary evidence showing that vasculature is probably involved in that process as well. In this study, we compared vascular development with that of radial glia and the migration of neurons, so that the relationships among them could be elucidated. We found that the radial glial cells and vasculature were highly similar in their distribution and development. For instance, in the external granular layer (EGL, the putative molecular layer), the processes of radial glial cells were arranged in an orderly radial pattern, whereas in the deep areas of the cerebellum, their arrangements were in relative disorder. On the other hand, the vasculatures in EGL were usually orientated radially, which paralleled the projections of radial glia; however, the distribution of vasculature in the internal granular layer (IGL, the putative granular layer) and white matter was in relative disorder as well, similar to the pattern exhibited by radial glial processes. This high harmonization between vasculature and radial glia suggests their interconnected biological relationships during cerebellar development and neural migration. We also observed that a large number of newborn neurons were migrating along blood vessels, suggesting that the vasculature could serve as a scaffold for cell migration. In conclusion, cerebellar vasculature could guide neural migration not only as a platform for biological interaction with radial glia, but also serve scaffolding functions for neural migration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two three-dimensional (3D) models of human cytochrome P450 26A1 (CYP26A1) were constructed using the programs Modeller and Sybyl-GeneFold, respectively. After refinement by molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the two models were validated by structure analysis-validation online server. Subsequently, a flexible docking study was performed on the model constructed by GeneFold with the potent and specific inhibitor R115866 to examine the enzyme-inhibitor interactions. From the docking results, we can see R115866 interacts with amino acid residues at the active site by multiple hydrophobic interactions including the side chains of His111, Trp112, Ser115, Val116, Leu125, Ser126, Leu221, Phe222, Glu296, Phe299, Gly300, Glu303, Thr304, Pro371 and the cofactor heme. Trp112 and Thr304 form hydrogen bonds with R115866 and play important roles in stabilising the complex. This constructed CYP26A1 model may provide an opportunity to understand the action mode of the enzyme and could be useful in designing novel retinoic acid metabolism blocking agents (RAMBAs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]